


Practical Magic

by cattacodinosaur



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Tropetastic Tuesday, just happy friends, just soft fluffiness, teen rhett and link, they are teens, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 12:59:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10190423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cattacodinosaur/pseuds/cattacodinosaur
Summary: My first submission to the Tumblr communities Tropetastic Tuesday! The prompt was Handcuffed Together Without The Key.Rhett gets a magic kit with a set of handcuffs inside.





	

Rhett burst through Link's door without knocking, an excited burst of energy trapped in long limbs and baggy shorts.

"Check it out, Link!" He brandished a garishly colored box decorated with a flamboyant man in a cape and oversized top hat. His tight white gloves held a disgruntled looking rabbit (well, as disgruntled as a rabbit can look) and a magical pose.

"A magic kit? Come on, Rhett. Aren't we a little old for magic? We're in high school now," Link rolled his bright blue eyes at the gangly boy sitting cross-legged beside him on his twin bed. He watched Rhett trace his long fingers over the sparkly raised text claiming:  _ **"HOURS OF MAGICAL FUN FOR ALL AGES!"** _

"It says all ages. Besides, man. Magic is cool.' Rhett didn't let his friend's lack of whimsy deter him from tearing open the box.

"No, man. Houdini is cool. Penn and Teller are cool. Heck, even David Copperfield is cool. You with a top hat, a cape, and a magic wand is not cool." Link hopped off the bed and fiddled with a wrestling action figure.

"Says the kid that still plays with dolls. Come on, man. It'll be fun. You can even be my lovely assistant!" Rhett beamed and backhanded the smaller boy on the shoulder.

"Aw, heck. I ain't gonna be nobody's lovely assistant. 'Specially not yours." He crossed his arms, tanned from a summer of bike riding and lazy swims in the Cape Feare River, across his chest with a huff.

"Please? Come on, bo." Rhett stuck out his lower lip and made his already wide eyes wider. Link sighed and dropped his arms to his sides.

"Fine. What all is in there, anyway?" He sat down beside his best friend, tucking one leg beneath the other.

"A deck of cards, a magic hat, one of these," Rhett pulled out a long black wand with a white tip and flicked it with a flourish. "Alakazam!" A bouquet of brightly colored polyester flowers popped out of the tip of the wand. He handed them to Link while pretending he didn't see the flush of red spreading onto Link's cheeks. He had lost the chipmunk cheeks of his youth over the summer, replacing them with well-defined bone structure and a hint of dark stubble.

"Ooh! Magic handcuffs! Just like Houdini used to use! "Rhett pulled out the chintzy metal rings and proceeded to clasp one of the cuffs on Link's bare right wrist.

"What the heck, man?" Link looked at the new accessory he was sporting and frowned. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Rhett snapped the other cuff on his left wrist, "now we escape! Just like real magicicans! We could be the next Penn and Teller! You can be Teller!" Link tried to push his large hand through the closed cuff, grunting and grimacing as he continued to fail at removing the cheap metal cuff. Rhett couldn't help but chuckle at Link's discomfort.

"Why do I gotta be the mute guy?"

"Cuz ya won't quit your bellyachin'. No one wants to see a famous magician and his sourpuss assistant."

"Rheeeeetttt!" Link whined, pulling his right arm with a hard jerk. Rhett's attached left arm followed. "Let's get these off, now. It's almost time for supper."

"No problem." Rhett looked at the small introduction manual and read the directions out loud. "'Drape magic cloth over assistant's cuffed hands. Wave your hands over the cloth while discretely slipping the enclosed key to the assistant. The assistant will use the key to release them from the _**Cuffs of Amazement**_. Display freed hands and take a bow. ' Sounds easy enough. "

"Great. Give me the key." Link rolled his eyes.

"I can't find it." Rhett shook the empty box over Link's soft blue comforter. Only a _"do not eat"_ silica packet slid out and landed on the bed defeated.

"Well, it's got to be around here, somewhere! Come on!" Link dropped to his knees, pulling Rhett down with him. He crawled around on the carpeted floor in much the same way someone with poor eyesight would have had they lost a contact lens.

Several minutes of frantic searching from the smaller boy and one halfhearted attempt at searching for the missing key from Rhett later, they gave up.

"Heh. Well, I guess you're stuck with me, huh?" Rhett smiled and slapped Link on the knee with his cuffed hand. Link was unamused, anxiety was starting to set in his eyes. "Look, why don't we go back to mine and borrow Cole's lock picking kit? We'll be in and out, presto chango!" Rhett steadied his green eyes on Link's anxious blue ones.

"Yeah, oka-" Link nodded, but was interrupted by the voice of his mother calling up the stairs.

"Supper's on, y'all."

 

* * *

  
Sue smiled and shook her head at the two teenaged boys connected with handcuffs. Those boys were darn near inseparable as it was, so it was not at all surprising to see them physically bound to each other.

"What in blazes are y'all playing?" She dished them up some fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

"Rhett thinks he's a magician, ma. I think he's just a big butthead who got us stuck together." Link jerked their connected hands to his mouth in an attempt at taking a bite of the hot chicken thigh. Rhett smiled around an inhuman amount of mashed potatoes and swallowed hard.

"He's jus' mad cuz I made him the lovely assistant." Sue chuckled. Boys will be boys, after all.

"Is it okay if Link comes over to my place after dinner? Maybe to spend the night?" Rhett looked at the pretty woman and flashed his killer smile at her.

"Sure, darlin'. After you two do the dishes."

"What if I don't wanna spend the night with a hack of a magician? Can't even make a key reappear."

Rhett's smile faded and he looked down at his plate of food, now untouched. Boy, Link was really mad. He hadn't thought Link would get so mad at him.

"Charles!" Sue scolded her son.

"Sorry, mama. Sorry, Rhett. Of course, I'd like to sleepover." Link covered the back of Rhett's hand with his palm and squeezed.

* * *

  
The boys finished the dishes with only one broken cup between them. The sudsy wet stains on the boy's shirts were a damp reminder of the splashing game Rhett instigated in order to make his friend smile. Link had smiled. Sue, however, had not. She tacked on the extra chore of mopping up their mess before she allowed them to leave for the night.

"Have fun, boys!" She waved as the boys walked to their bikes, discarded in the yard several feet away from each other. Link wore Rhett's silly magical hat, while Rhett had draped the cheap cape over his broad shoulders.

"Oof, come on!" Link landed on Rhett's side, having lost the tug of war.

"We'll ride my bike. You hop on the handlebars...yeah. Like that. Now you use your free hand to steer the left handlebar and I'll use my free hand to steer this side."

"I'm gonna fall off!" Link's small body teetered on the sturdy bar connecting the handlebars, his right arm bent awkwardly behind him.

"I got it. Lift up your left arm." Link did as he was asked. Rhett hooped the connected arms over the free arm. " Now, put your arm down. I'll use our stuck arms to hold you so you don't fall off."

"What if people see us? We look ridiculous."

"Who cares? Ready?" Rhett allowed his palm to rest on Link's soft belly and kicked off. His cape danced behind him as he sped down the long stretches of road between houses. He gripped tighter as he whipped around the street corners, smiling as Link gasped each time.

"Slow down, man!" Link lifted his free hand to hold the hat in place. Rhett sped up, the adrenaline of proximity coursing through his veins.

He skidded to a halt as he hit the familiar green grass of his home. The bike tumbled to the turf, taking the boys with it. They rolled from the bike in a tangled heap of connected limbs.

"Dang it, Rhett! I told you to slow down! Let's find your brother's kit and get this thing offa me." Link brushed the grass from his dirt stained knees. Rhett could see he was on the verge of an anxiety attack. He was confined, dirty, and unable to dictate their plans. It made him nervous. Rhett knew this. Link had been his best friend for years. Rhett knew Link better than he knew himself, most days anyway. 

 

* * *

  
The boys sat on Rhett's unmade bed, trying in vain to unlock the cuffs with the lock picking kit they had pilfered from Cole's unlocked bedroom.

"Why isn't it working?" Link whined, jabbing the thin tools into the keyhole.

"Hey, losers. Were you in my room?" Cole was in the doorway, watching.

"We needed your lock picking kit. You know, the kit that mom and dad don't know you have." Rhett used his younger brother status to wipe the grin off his brother's face.

"Fine. Why?"

"Well, the Magnificent McLaughlin here thought we could escape these trick handcuffs, but he lost the key." Link sighed and let the tools fall to the floor, giving up.

"Is that from one of those **_Magical Marv's Magic-tastic Magic Kit_**?"

"Yeah? So?" Rhett rolled his eyes.

"I had one of these when I was, like, five, dude. Look, there is a little button here to release the cuffs." Cole leaned in and pressed the small button near Link's wrist. The contraption sprung free, releasing the teenager's hands.

"Did you know that, Rhett?" Link's eyes were wide, staring deep into Rhett's.

"No, man! I swear!" It was the truth, after all.

"Well, enjoy the rest of your magic show, ladies. And stay out of my room." Cole slammed the door behind him.

Link threw his arms around Rhett's skinny body and planted a small, barely noticeable kiss on his smooth cheek and withdrew quickly.

"What was that for, buddyroll?" Rhett felt his face grow warm and his heart speed up.

"Guess I didn't mind being stuck with you so much after all."

Rhett smiled to himself and shoved his hands the pockets of his loose khaki shorts and fingered the smooth metal key in his large palm. _'Guess I'm better at makin' magic than you thought, Neal.'_

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to participate so much! Great idea, @thegreyhenley! My first attempt at them as teens and utter fluffy fun.


End file.
